ause, but
immediately leaped off from his horse, and plunged into the water and swam
across in pursuit of the stag. And when he reached the other side, he
chased the stag afoot with great speed, and therewith the stag ran to the
castle and into the court-yard thereof, and King Meliadus ran after it.
Then, immediately he had entered in, the gates of the castle were shut and
King Meliadus was a prisoner.

[Sidenote: King Meliadus is made prisoner at an enchanted castle] (Now you
are to know that that castle was the abode of the beautiful enchantress
afore spoken of, and you are to know that she had sent that enchanted stag
to beguile King Meliadus to her court, and so she made King Meliadus her
captive. Further, it is to be told that when she had him there within her
castle, she wove a web of enchantment all about him so that he forgot the
Lady Elizabeth and his court and his kingdom and thought of nothing but
that beautiful sorceress who had thus beguiled him into her power.)

[Sidenote: The Lady Elizabeth grieves to distraction] Now, when those who
were with the King returned to the castle of Lyonesse without him, and when
the King did not return that day nor the next day nor at any time, the Lady
Elizabeth grew more and more distracted in her anxiety because of him. And
when a fortnight had gone by and still there was no news of the King, her
grief and apprehension became so great that she turned distracted and they
had to set watch and ward upon her lest she do herself a harm in her
madness.

So for a long time they kept her within the castle; but upon a certain day
she broke away from her keepers and ran out from the castle and into the
forest ere those in attendance upon her knew she had gone. Only one
gentlewoman saw her, and she called upon a young page to follow her, and
thereupon ran after the Queen whither she went, with intent to bring her
back again.

[Sidenote: The Lady Elizabeth escapes into the forest] But the Lady
Elizabeth ran very deep into the forest, and the gentlewoman and the page
ran after her; and the Queen thought that she was going to find her lord in
the forest. So she ran very rapidly for a great distance, until by and by
she waxed faint with weariness from running and sank down upon the ground;
and there they that followed her found her lying. And they found that the
Queen was in a great passion of pain and sick to death. For the day was
very wintry, with a fine powder of snow all over the